United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Coordinator Gerda Verburg lauds progress and calls for increased coordination and resourcing to address high levels of malnutrition in children and mothers

United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Coordinator, Gerda Verburg, met national leaders and key partners to discuss actions to improve the nutrition of the most vulnerable in Timor-Leste, especially women and children.

DILI, TIMOR-LESTE. 02 December 2022 – UN Assistant Secretary-General and Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Coordinator, Ms. Gerda Verburg, concluded her week-long visit to Timor Leste today.

During the visit, Ms. Verburg met the President of the Republic of Timor Leste, H. E. Dr. Jose Ramos Horta, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Timor Leste, H. E. Taur Matan Ruak, Speaker of the National Parliament, H. E. Aniceto Guterres Lopes and Parliamentarians, Political leaders, Ministers of Agriculture and Health and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as United Nations agencies, heads of mission of bilateral cooperation agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and private sector, youth and academia representatives.

In addition, Ms. Verburg and her delegation took part in a round-table discussion with members of the National Food Security, Sovereignty and Nutrition Council in Timor-Leste (KONSSANTIL), as well as several television talk shows and media interviews. She also undertook visits to see some of the key actions by government and partners to reduce malnutrition in children, adolescents, mothers and families, including the Breastfeeding Café at the Guido Valadares National Hospital, a school feeding programme in Manleuana and the Comoro Community Health Centre.

Mrs Verburg’s visit culminated in a half-day seminar during which a joint commitment to support implementation of the national SDG 2 Consolidated National Action Plan on Nutrition and Food Security (SDG 2 CNAP-NFS) was signed by high-level members of the government, donors, United Nations agencies and civil society and private sector, academia and youth representatives.

“I praise the government’s strong determination to invest in people. Now that the planning, costing and research have been done, the government and its partners need to move towards implementation in every municipality and every village where the most vulnerable people are,” said Mrs Verburg.

“Winning the war on food and nutrition insecurity requires more than a programme; it requires commitment and concerted action from all the partners to work together as one. Timor-Leste has a clear road map; let it be a road map for action”, she added.

Addressing malnutrition in Timor Leste, including stunting, which affects one out of every two children, starts with prevention. The crucial first 1000 days of a child, from conception to the second birthday define not only health and resilience, but also cognitive hardware. If the brain does not develop well, the child will be stunted for the rest of his life, and stunted children create stunting economies, hampering a country’s potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. 

In this fight against stunting, every sector, from health to agriculture and fisheries, education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Transport and Communications have a role to play.

“All 18 priorities of the SDG 2 CNAP-NFS complement each other, fostering a much-needed collective approach under which each sector has a precise set of actions to lead on, from promoting healthy and nutritious diets and ensuring every child is exclusively breastfed during their first six months, to supporting school feeding,” said Filipe Da Costa, Special Delegate for Nutrition and Food Security Coordination - Prime Minister’s Office and SUN Focal Point for Timor Leste.

“The SUN Movement Timor-Leste will help the partners work together, in every village, to allow every mother and every child not only to survive but to thrive and live healthy and productive lives,” he added.

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Adjunta Sekretariu-Jeral Nasoins Unidas no Kordenadora Movimentu Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Gerda Verburg louva progresu no husu atu aumenta kordenasaun no rekursu atu rezolve malnutrisaun nivel as iha labarik no inan-sira.

Adjunta Sekretariu-Jeral Nasoins Unidas no Kordenadora Movimentu Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN,) Gerda Verburg, hasoru malu ho lider nasional sira no parseriu xavi sira atu deskuti asoins hodi hadi’ak nutrisaun liliu ba vulneravel boot iha Timor-Leste, li-liu feto no labarik-sira. 

DILI, TIMOR-LESTE. 02 Dezembru 2022 – Adjunta Sekretariu-Jeral Nasoins Unidas no Kordenadora Movimentu Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN,) Gerda Verburg, ohin loron remata nia vizita semana ida iha Timor-Leste. 

Durante vizita, Sra. Verburg hasoru malu ho Presidente Repúblika Demokrátika Timor-Leste, S.E. Dr. José Ramos-Horta, Primeiru Ministru Repúblika Demokrátika Timor-Leste, S.E. Taur Matan Ruak, Presidente Parlamamentu Nasional, S.E. Aniceto Guterres Lopes no membru parlamentu sira, lider polítiku sira, Ministru Agrikultura no Ministra Saúde, no Vise Ministru Estranjeiru no Koperasaun, nune’e mós ho ajensia Nasoins Unidas sira, xefi misaun ajensia koperasaun bilaterais sira, parseiru dezenvolvimentu sira, organizasoins sosiedade sivíl no setor privadu sira, reprezentante sira husi juventude no akademia sira.

No adesaun, Sra. Verburg ho nia delegasaun hola parte mós iha diskusaun meja redonda ida ho membru Konselu Nasional Segurasa Aihan, Soberania no Nutrisaun iha Timor-Leste (KONSSANTIL), nune’e mós hala’o talk show balun iha televisaun no intrevista iha mídia. Nia mós hala’o vizita ida atu haree asoins importante balun husi governu no parseiru sira atu reduz malnutrisaun iha labarik-sira, adolexente-sira, inan-sira no familia sira, inklui Café Fó Susubeen-inan ba Bebé iha Hospital Nasional Guido Valadares, programa merenda eskolar ida iha Manleuana no Sentru Saúde Comoro.

Sra.Verburg nia vizita remata ho seminariu loron-sorin ida ho kompromisu konjunta ida atu apoia implementasaun ODS 2 Planu Asaun Nasional Konsolidasaun kona-ba Nutrisaun no Seguransa Aihan (SDG 2 CNAP-NFS) ne’ebé mak asina ona husi membru governu nivel aas sira, doador sira, ajensia Nasoins Unidas sira no sosiedade sivíl no setor privadu sira, reprezentante juventude no akademia sira.

“Hau louva governu nia determinasaun forte atu investe iha ema. Agora, planeamentu, kustu no peskiza hala’o tiha ona, governu ho nia parseiru sira presija atu hakat ba implementasaun iha kada munisipiu no kada suku iha ne’ebé ema ho vulneravel liu hela ba,” hateten Sra. Verburg.

“Manan funu kontra inseguransa aihan no nutrisaun presija liu programa ida; ne’e presija kompromisu no asaun konsertada ida husi parseiru sira hotu atu serbisu hamutuk nu’udar ekipa ida. Timor-Leste iha roteiru ka dalan ida klaru; husik ba sai nu’udar roteiru ida ba asaun”, nia aumenta tan.

Rezolve malnutrisaun iha Timor-Leste, inkluindu ra’es badak, ne’ebé afeta labarik ida entre kada labarik na’in rua, hahú ho prevensaun. Loron dahuluk 1000 krusial husi labarik ida, husi konsepsaun ba aniversariu daruak defini la’os deit saúde no resiliênsia, maibé mós hardware kognitivu. Kuandu serebru eh kakutak la dezenvolve ho di’ak, labarik sei ra’es badak iha nia moris tomak, no labarik ra’es badak kria ra’es badak iha ekonómia, prejudika nasaun nia potensia atu atinji Objetivu Dezenvolvimentu Sustentavel.

Iha funu ida hasoru ra’es badak ida ne’e, kada setor, husi saúde ba agrikultura no peskas, edukasaun, bee, saneamentu no ijiene, solidariedade sosial no inkluzaun, transporte no komunikasoins iha knaar atu hala’o.

“Prioridade hotu hamutuk 18 husi SDG 2 CNAP-NFS kompleta malu, promove abordajem kolektiva ida ne’ebé mak presija teb-tebes, ne’ebé kada setor iha presiju konjuntu ida ne’ebé mak loos iha asaun atu lidera, husi promosaun dieta ne’ebé mak saudáveis no nutritivas no garante katak kada labarik hetan susubeen-inan esklusivu durante fulan neen dahuluk, atu apoia merenda eskolar,” hateten Filipe da Costa, Delagadu Espesial ba Kordenasaun Nutrisaun no Seguransa Aihan – Gabinete Primeiru Ministru no Pontu Fokal SUN ba Timor-Leste.

“Movimentu SUN Timor-Leste sei ajuda parseiru sira hodi serbisu hamutuk, iha kada suku, atu premiti kada inan no kada labarik la’os deit atu moris maibé mós atu prospera no moris saudável no moris produtivu,” nia aumenta.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

SUN Movement:
Alexandre Brecher, Communications And Advocacy Advisor, Sun Movement Secretariat (English): alexandre.brecher@scalingupnutrition.org ; +41 79 459 15 40

UN Resident Coordinator’s Office
Ahmed Saleem, Communications Officer (English): mohammed.saleem@un.org 

UNICEF: 
Rukshan Ratnam, Communication Specialist (English): rratnam@unicef.org; +67077231103

Antonio Gomez, Communication Officer (Tetun): angomez@unicef.org; +67077232441 

WFP:
Natsuki Tsuda, Communication Specialist (English): natsuki.tsuda@wfp.org; +67077122214 

WHO:
Jyoti Shelar, Communications Officer (English): shelarj@who.int; +67077728051